Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Players' union ratifies new labor agreement

By STEVE CARP
REVIEW-JOURNAL

On the day that the NBA welcomed a new group of players, its existing members were shaking hands and exchanging congratulatory hugs.

The players' association Tuesday ratified the new six-year collective bargaining agreement that it reached with the NBA last week.

There were one or two dissenting votes among the 60 players who met at Wynn Las Vegas just hours before the NBA Draft began in New York. But the player representatives from all 30 teams voted to accept the deal, and the result should be the same when the rank and file votes next month.

"I don't expect any bumps or blips along the way," union chief Billy Hunter said. "There was a lot riding on this, and the willingness of both sides to make a deal is what got this done. We were headed for the abyss."

The new deal replaces a seven-year contract that expires Thursday.

Chicago Bulls center Antonio Davis, elected president of the players' association Tuesday, said he was prepared to go toe to toe with commissioner David Stern over a new deal. Now, he's glad he won't have to.

"It's one less thing I have to do," Davis said. "But that's what negotiating is about. You can't take every single thing individually. You have to look at everything collectively."

In the new deal, the players gave up a guaranteed seventh year on long-term contracts and agreed to additional drug testing and a minimum age limit of 19 for those entering the league. In exchange, the players received a higher percentage of the gross revenues, from 53 percent to 57 percent; no super tax on salaries; two additional roster spots per team; and an increased salary cap, from 48 percent of revenues to 51 percent.

"Not having a super tax creates some flexibility for guys to move while still giving other teams a chance to compete," Cleveland Cavaliers guard Eric Snow said. "To me, that was a big thing for the players to get in the deal."

Orlando Magic forward Pat Garrity said he knew the sides would avoid a lockout.

"We were so close as a whole," he said. "There were some important issues that still needed to be resolved, but all the major ones had been settled. It was just a matter of getting the two sides to keep talking and work it out."

Garrity said the players didn't lose much in the new deal and retained many of the important elements of the previous contract.

"We kept the flexibility of the old deal," he said. "A guy can still go out and get fair-market value for what he's worth."

Davis said with the negotiations completed and the deal ratified, he hopes the two sides will work together closely to promote basketball.

"I hope some goodwill comes out of it," he said. "We want to see the game continue to grow."

By avoiding a work stoppage, Garrity said, basketball is already ahead of the game.

"We were able to nip it in the bud," he said. "Fans don't want to hear about labor stoppages."